PG&E outage knocks out power to thousands of Petaluma residents

Many Petalumans woke up to darkened homes Monday morning as a result of a PG&E power outage encompassing large sections of the city.|

Pacific Gas & Electric crews are currently working to restore power to thousands of Petaluma residents Monday, after an outage left approximately 14,000 residents in the dark during a drizzly and overcast morning.

At its height, the incidents enveloped large swaths of the city, from the edge of Hwy. 116 through much of downtown. Nearly the entire westside was without power, along with a chunk of the city’s Midtown and eastside neighborhoods.

As of 11:14 a.m., crews had successfully restored power to more than 5,000, leaving approximately 8,300 still without power, according to PG&E spokesperson Deanna Contreras.

Residents will continue to see their lights flicker on again intermittently throughout the day, as crews continue to restore power, Contreras said. As of this morning, the utility company did not have a concrete estimation as to when power would be fully restored.

Electric service cut out for most at around 9:12 a.m. this morning, while a smaller incident occurred a few hours earlier at 7:30 a.m.

Contreras said there were three incidents that primarily impacted Petaluma’s PG&E substation located on the westside of town.

PG&E crews are still investigating the cause of the outages, she said, but suspects that they are all rain-related.

Public Works Director Jason Beatty said staff has been dispatched to multiple intersections to manage signal outages as of 10 a.m., while the city monitors its sewer pump stations as they default to backup power sources.

Beatty said more than 20 intersections went dark as a result of the outage, and encourages residents to take extra precautions when out on the roads.

Residents can check for updates on the outage on the utility company’s interactive map. Sign up for alerts on power outages that affect your address here.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.)

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